Life-raft.



N. RUBENSTEIN.

LIFE HAFT.. l APPLICATION FILED FEB. Il. I9I6- RENEWED OCT. 7 1916.

1,205,667. Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

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BY 307e M+ ATTORNEYS.

N. RUBENSTEIN.

LIFE RAFT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11. 1916. nniwfjo ocT. 7.. |916.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

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LIFE RAFT.

APPLlcATloN FILED mm1. 191s.

RENEWED OCT. 7.1915.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

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NATI-IAN RUBEN-STEIN, 0F NEW YORK, '.N'. Y.

LIFE-RAFT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latented Nov. 21, 1916.

Application led February 11, 1916, Serial No. 77,604. Renewed October 7, 1916. Serial No. 124,437.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, NATHAN RUBENsTEiN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, borough of Bronx, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have made and invented certain new and useful Improvements in LifeRafts, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to a life raft, which is installed upon the upper deck of a boat, and, under ordinary conditions, forms a part thereof. The life raft is composed of a number of small sections pivotally secured together, so that as the boat .sinks and the raft is launched, the various sections may articulate with the waves, so as to form a practical structure, capable of floating for an indefinite period of time.

An object of the Vpresent invention is to provide a life raft which is mounted upon the upper deck of a boat, and, should the vessel sink, is capable of supporting the entire occupants of the boat, the raft being formed in sections, hingedly secured together, and each section being designed'to receive a definite number of passengers. The raft is accordingly capable of flexing with the undulation of the waves, which yfeature also promotes, and renders possible, the

successful launching of the raft.

A further object is to provide a raft of the character above outlined, with novel means for launching the raft from the deck of the boat upon which it is positioned.

A further object is to form a lift raft in a plurality of sections, the various sections being formed and joined together in a thoroughly practical and eiiicient manner, 'resulting in a strong yand rugged construction, so that the entire raft is admirably adapted to withstand being bu'ed by the waves for an indefinite period.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and details of construction, hereinafter described and claimed.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figure 1 is a view of the stern of the boat, equipped with my improved life raft thereon; Fig. 2 is a view in top plan, of several sections ofthe life raft, portions thereof being broken away to more clearly illustrate the manner of connecting the various sections together; Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section of one of the raft sections, illustrating in detail the apparatus used for launching the raft; Fig. 4 is a view in section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, illustrating the connection between the sides of adjacent raft sections; Fig. 5 is a view in section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, illustrating the connection between the ends of adjacent raft sections; Fig. 6 is a view in top plan of the entire raft, illustrating that the raft follows the general outline of the boat, so that, under ordinary conditions, it forms a part thereof; Fig. 7 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6, illustrating several of the raft sections provided with small cabins for the reception of provisions, wireless apparatus, and other paraphernalia., looking to the safety and comfort of the ocvcupants of the raft; Fig. 8 is a view in section of one edge of the raft section, illustrating the upstanding rail and the box which extends around the edge of the outer sections; Fig. 9 is a fragmental view in perspective of the edge of an outer section, illustrating the manner in which a portion of the box which extends around the edge of the raft may be removed, and oars used in order to keep the raft pointed in a given direction; F ig. V1() is a view in transverse section of the deck of a boat, with my raft thereon, the deck being` provided with a specially constructed launching means whereby the raft may be launched while the deck is still raised a considerable distance above the Water; Fig. ll is a similar view illustrating the raft as it is being launched from the side of the boat; Fig. 12 is a detail view in section of the launching apparatus; Fig. 13 is a View in section taken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 10, also illustrating the workings of the launching apparatus; Fig. la illustrates the launching` ways. acting as a support for a stairway, or other means of descent for the passengers in passing from the boat to the launched raft.

Referring specifically to the several views, a boat 16 is provided with a smooth, flat and unobstructed deck 17, upon which is positioned my improved life raft 18.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, this life raft conforms to the contour of the deck, and forms a part thereof. The life raft 18 is formed of a plurality of sections, the number of which sections may be varied, according to i the size ofthe boat upon which the life raft 'l do not wish to in any wise limit myself to this size. The various beams 20, which are in themselves constructed of three or more plant; 21, placed on edge, are arranged so that the alternating beams QQ project beyond the intermediate beanisQB,-so aste forni the projecting members 24 of a hinge joint. The projecting members 24 receive therebetween the projecting members 24 ofthe adjacent raft section, and through which projecting members extends the rod 25. ln this manner, a hinge joint is provided between each raft section, allowing the adjacent rafts to freely articulate. The sides of the projecting members 24 are reinforced by the metal plates 2G illustrated in F 5, preventinglv undue wear and friction in these hinged joints.

In order that those raft sections which are placed side by side may freely articulate, as well as the sections which are placed end to end, the beams 20, which extend along the side edges of the sections, are each provided with spaced reinforcing plates 27, hrough which extend suitable openings 2S for the reception of bolts 29. The openings 28 in the reinforcing plates Q7 are considerably larger than the shank of the bolts 29, allowing a considerable amount of freedom and play whereby the raft sections may freely articulate one with respect to the other. ln order to increase the range of movement between the various raft sections, the bolts 29 are of considerable length and may move I within suitable openings 30 formed in the edge beams, allowing endwise movement for these bolts, and the raft sections to separate slightly.

l/Vhile the beams of which the raft sections are composed are in themselves buoyant, and will support a certain amount of weight, the necessary buoyancy is obtained by providing floats 3l under each raft section. These floats are in the form of an air-tight box and are securely held to thel surface of the raft sections. The size, and therefore buoyancy, of these floats maybe varied according to the number of occupants each raft section is to accommodate, a large margin or factor'of safety being provided for.

The life raft is positioned upon the upper deck 17 of the boat and is held against movement thereon by the friction between the floats and the boat deck, and by a small strip (not illustrated) which may extend around the outer edge of the deck. Each raft section is provided with a centrally disposed cylinder or tube 82, in which is mounted a plunger 83. The lower extremity of this plunger carries a roller or ball 34, while the upper extremity contacts with a camshape lever 35, which is pivoted, at 36to the cylinder or casing These levers are normally in a horizontal position, and

housed within a suitable slot 37 provided in the top of each raft section. When it is desired to launch the raft, these levers 35 are grasped, and manually raised, forcing the plunger downwardly, and the roller 34 .into contactwith the deck 17 of the boat. iis the lever attains a vertical position, the raft sections are moved above the Adeck of the boat, so that cach section rests upon a roller '34, the levers 35 being held in their upright position by a chain 38, or other similar means, which is engaged with a `hook 35) secured to the raft section. rlfhe tilting of the boat as it sinks, causes the raft to pass quickly from the deck of the boat into the water, this actiontaking place in acomparatively smooth manner, due to the flexibility`of the raft sections. rPhe lever 35 also provides a support for the occupants of each raft section during the launching of the raft.Y

The raft is provided with suitable cabins 40, for-the reception of wireless apparatus, and other accessories, looking to the comfort and safety of the occupants of theV raft. The outer raftV sections are provided with a box 41 also adapted to receive provisions and other paraphernalia, andA also adapted to act as a seat or support for the raft occupants. A portion 42 of each box is removable, as illustrated in Fig. 9, providing a space for the reception of oars, Vwhereby the raft may be maintainedpointing in any desired direction. Railings 43 are provided upon each of the outer raft sections, and

allow the raft to be freely frequented by passengers when installed upon the deck of the boat,

A somewhat modified form of launching apparatus is disclosed in Figs. l0 to 14, this type being preferable where the life raft is to be installed upon a boat which is in the course of construction, as this type requires a certain amount of machinery and apparatus to be built directly in the deck of the boat. The life raft 44 is similar to that previously described, with the exception that the launching apparatus, including the lever 35 and plunger, and analogous parts, are omitted. The raft sections each include a float 45, and the deck 46 'of the boat is provided with upstanding rails 47, arranged in pairs, each pair being contained between the floats 45 of'adjacent raftr sections. VThe rails 47 extend transversely of the boat, and receive suitableV launching ways 48, preferably in the form of channel bars resting upon suitable rollers 49. rlhe ends of adjacent raft sections rest upon, and are supported by, these launching ways. Each launching way is provided along its under surface with a rack bar which meshes with gear wheels 51 which are adapted to be forcibly driven. When it is desired to launch the raft, the gear wheels 51 are forcibly driven, projecting the launching ways over the sides of the boat, and carrying therewith the life raft 44. The rails 47 do not extend to the sides of the deck of the boat, and the rollers 52 which are carried by the launching ways, are so positioned that after the launching ways are projected over the sides of the boat, approximately three-quarters of their length, the rollers 52 pass beyond the ends of the guide rails 47, allowing the launching ways to tilt as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 11. This tilting of the launching ways is controlled by suitable catches 53 which engage suitable stops 54 at the extreme side edges of the launching ways. rlwo equally spaced catches 53 and stops 54 are provided, so that the launching ways may be projected to either side of the boat. The catches 53 and stops 54 are so arranged that the catches 53 nearest the side of the boat over which the raft is being launched, will be the ones to engage the stops 54 upon the various launching ways. Cables 55 are secured to the catches, and extend around winding drums 56, which may be slowly released, allowing the launching ways to slowly tilt, so thatjthe life raft may pass slowly down the launching ways into the water.

After the raft has been successfully launched, the inclined launching ways are used for the support of chutes, or stairways 57, down which the passengers may descend to the life raft.

What I claim is 1. A life raft comprising a plurality of sections formed of beams with the alternating beams of each section projected beyond the ends of the intermediate ones, the projecting ends of the beams of each section pivotally secured together.

2. A life raft comprising a plurality of sections, each section comprising a plurality of planks spaced on end and secured together, forming connected beams, the ends of alternating beams projecting beyond the ends of intermediate beams, forming hinged joints at the ends or each section, rods extending through the projecting beams of each section, hingedly securing them together, and flexible connections extending between the sides of adjacent sections, providing for limited transverse movement of the sections one with respect to the other.

3. A life raft comprising a plurality of sections hingedly secured together and adapted to articulate one with respect to the other, and launching means carried by the sections comprising plungers with rollers at the lower extremities thereof, and means for forcibly lowering said plungers to thereby raise the raft sections and support them upon said rollers.

4. A life raft comprising a plurality of sections secured together and adapted to articulate one with respect to the other, and means for raising the raft above the deck of a boat comprising plungers with rollers supported upon the lower extremities thereof, and cam arms engaging said plungers and adapted to be manually raised for the forcible raising of the raft sections and supporting them upon said rollers.

Signed at New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 7th day of February, A. D. 1916.

NATHAN RUBENSTEIN.

Witnesses:

A. V. WALSH, GEORGE E. Coon.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

